On August 15, 2016, ambulance sirens echoed non-stop through the streets of Huntington, West Virginia. Emergency crews were called to revive 28 overdose victims—more than one per hour. While these numbers might seem modest for a city like New York or Los Angeles, Huntington had only 48,000 residents. Incredibly, nearly 1 in 4 people—about 12,000—were struggling with opioid addiction.
The town quickly gained a new, harrowing reputation: the overdose capital of America. Headlines from national outlets labeled it the epicenter of a crisis that was devastating communities across the United States.
But this isn’t just the story of a city plagued by addiction. It’s the story of a community that refused to surrender. It’s about paramedics who saved lives, nurses who embraced the most vulnerable, and former addicts who returned to uplift others. It’s about how Huntington became a model of resilience, reform, and recovery.
The Roots of a Crisis: Pain, Poverty, and Pills
To understand how Huntington fell so far, we have to examine the economic and social storm that hit West Virginia in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The coal mining industry—once the backbone of the state—collapsed, leaving thousands jobless. Many miners, injured from years of grueling labor, were in desperate need of pain relief.
Enter OxyContin, marketed aggressively by Purdue Pharma as a miracle painkiller. Approved in 1995, it quickly saturated rural communities. By 1999, some counties in West Virginia were prescribing opioids at five times the national average.
Pharmaceutical distributors and unethical healthcare professionals created a pipeline of legal drugs into towns like Huntington. Pill mills—clinics that handed out prescriptions with little to no oversight—thrived. In one surreal example, a network of doctors was allegedly set up by a former pimp recently released from federal prison.
Between 2006 and 2014, over 81 million opioid pills were shipped to Huntington and surrounding areas. For a county of 97,000 people, that’s an average of 837 pills per resident.
A City Under Siege
The consequences of this pharmaceutical flood were immediate and deadly:
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2015: Opioid overdose became the third leading cause of death in Huntington.
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2016: The state recorded the highest overdose death rate in the U.S.—40 per 100,000.
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2017: Carbell County’s rate soared to 72.7 per 100,000, nearly 5 times the national average.
As access to prescriptions declined due to CDC guidelines, addicts turned to heroin, and later, to more lethal substances like fentanyl and carfentanil—a tranquilizer used on elephants.
The crisis took its most heartbreaking toll on newborns. One in ten babies born at Huntington Hospital in 2016 suffered from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)—withdrawals caused by in-utero exposure to opioids.
Turning the Tide: A City Refuses to Give Up
Despite this devastation, Huntington did something extraordinary. It fought back.
Lily’s Place: A Sanctuary for Mothers and Babies
In 2016, pediatric nurses Sarah Murray and Ronda Redmond opened Lily’s Place, a facility dedicated to caring for babies born with NAS and supporting their mothers.
Each family was given:
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A private room.
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Guidance from specialized nurses.
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Skills training in infant care.
The initiative expanded in 2017 with Healthy Connections, a coalition that:
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Paired new mothers with family navigators.
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Connected families to peer support and recovery services.
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Provided access to pediatric neurologists, therapists, and social workers at the Kids Clinic.
Children were also enrolled in the CARES Program (Center for Addiction Research, Education, and Support), which continues support through early childhood and school integration.
Citywide Response: Innovation in Action
Mayor Steve Williams took a leading role. In 2014, he established the Office of Drug Control Policy, coordinating over 50 local agencies.
Other key efforts included:
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Syringe Exchange Program (2015): Distributed 150,000 clean syringes and provided health assessments and referrals.
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First Detox Ward (2015): Equipped with 8 beds for safe withdrawal.
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Naloxone Distribution (2016): Police, EMTs, and even the mayor carried the life-saving antidote.
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Quick Response Teams (2017): Sent a peer recovery coach, EMT, police officer, and faith leader to visit overdose survivors within 72 hours.
These interventions cut overdose-related ambulance calls by 40% within a year.
Legal Battles: Seeking Accountability
In 2021, Carbell County sued pharmaceutical distributors McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health, demanding $2.5 billion in damages.
County Attorney Paul Farrell argued that the companies had created a public nuisance by flooding the area with pills, citing state law on public health endangerment.
But in July 2022, a federal judge ruled in favor of the distributors, stating that they had fulfilled “legally written prescriptions”—a ruling Huntington and Carbell County appealed to the West Virginia Supreme Court in 2024.
A Recovery Built on Community
Huntington’s strength lies not just in policy—but in people.
At Recovery Point, a detox center run entirely by former addicts, real transformation happens. One of them, Richie Armstrong, told Sky News in 2024:
“Next week I’ll have 8 years of continuous sobriety. This recovery world—this is my life now.”
Facilities like Karen’s Place, focused on supporting pregnant women with addiction, and long-term care initiatives funded by public-private partnerships, have become lifelines for many.
2024 and Beyond: Signs of Hope
In August 2024, Huntington recorded 10 overdose cases per week, down from 28 in a single day in 2016. Though still high for a city of 45,000, this marks a massive improvement.
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Fewer deaths.
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More recoveries.
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A growing network of support and healing.
Huntington is no longer just the overdose capital—it’s also the recovery capital. The city has become a national model for fighting the opioid crisis with data-driven policy, relentless compassion, and community resilience.
FAQ – Understanding Huntington’s Opioid Journey
1. Why was Huntington so affected by the opioid crisis?
Due to a combination of economic decline, chronic physical pain among former coal workers, and aggressive pharmaceutical marketing, Huntington became a prime target for opioid overprescription.
2. What are pill mills?
Pill mills are clinics or wellness centers that distribute large volumes of prescription drugs with little to no medical oversight, often for profit.
3. What is Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)?
NAS occurs when newborns are exposed to addictive substances in the womb and experience withdrawal symptoms after birth.
4. How did Huntington respond to the crisis?
Through initiatives like Lily’s Place, syringe exchange programs, detox centers, naloxone distribution, and Quick Response Teams, Huntington implemented a comprehensive, compassionate response.
5. Are overdose rates still high in Huntington?
Yes, but significantly reduced. In 2024, weekly overdoses dropped to 10, down from 28 in a single day in 2016—showing substantial progress.
